


A Week of Bliss

by Queen_of_Hearts (Queens_of_Angst), Queen_of_Spades (Queens_of_Angst)



Series: Mighty Mutant Marriage Mishap [1]
Category: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Bay Movies), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Best Friends, Depression, Developing Friendships, F/M, Fake Marriage, Heavy Angst, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2018-12-31 09:57:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 22,057
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12129981
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queens_of_Angst/pseuds/Queen_of_Hearts, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Queens_of_Angst/pseuds/Queen_of_Spades
Summary: Michelangelo has been friends with Shadow for a while, mostly online. As a joke they get married online, only maybe it isn't as much of a joke as Mike thought. Donatello and Shadow decide to prank Mikey and make him think the marriage is real at least for one week. The only problem is, Mike actually loves Shadow and doesn't want the week to end.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a RP taken from our blogs and we are putting it in story form. Right now it is unedited and will be cleaned up once we get it all posted. 
> 
> This is based on a marriage meme where the characters are supposed to be married for a week. This ended up taking a turn and has become something far more than either of us intended. We have written multiple side fictions to go along with the RP and will be posting everything under the series. 
> 
> We may end up posting other things, but for now it is mostly going to all be part of our Marriage Mishap AU.

Mike left his room with a huge smile on his face. He had been talking to shadow again and they had both been laughing for a good half hour off and on, mostly on. He loved that he could make her laugh so easily and he was glad that she went along with his games. They had been married for three days now and it was so much fun, even if it was pretend.

He was humming as he started making something to eat when Don wandered into the kitchen. “Why are you so happy, you have been humming and smiling for almost three days now. I know you are the cheerful one, but it is starting to get a bit creepy.”

Laughing Mike turned to Donnie. “Oh I was just talking to my wife is all.” Mike was even happier now that he could prank one of his brothers with this. It was too easy, because Don already looked like he might faint.

“Wait…. your what now?” Don was struggling to acknowledge what he had just heard leave his baby brothers mouth. “Wife!? Are you kidding?” Don’s breathing changed and he looked like he might be on the verge of another panic attack. “You.. you got married and you never.. you didn’t invite me? You didn’t tell us?”

Mike no longer found the joke funny and held up his hands. “Kidding, Donnie! I was kidding..” He was happy that Don was less pale now. “it was a joke, an online thing. We went in one of those funny internet chapel things and watched other people do it so.. why not?”

 

Don sat down as he got his breathing under control. “Your friend, Shadow right? You did this with her?” Slowly Don planned his revenge for that scare. The thought that any of them would get married was, well kind of ridiculous, but if any of them could it would be Mike. The idea that he would have done it without letting his family know, or at least himself, is what had upset Don.

“What do you mean internet chapel?” Donnie asked as he formulated his plan.

“Oh, we were on a forum and some people on there said they were going to get married online, but I mean that is silly right. So we went to the thing and watched like guests and role-played through it. It was so much fun we decided to get pretend hitched too!”

Don went pale, he had to sell this and it was easy with how close to an attack he had already come. “Uh.. Mike…. those places online. They aren’t pretend…”

“…..fuck…”


	2. Chapter 2

Michelangelo was a ham and honestly it was one of his best qualities. He could be serious on occasion but mostly it was obvious that he took great pride and pleasure in making her (and presumably everyone else he spoke with) laugh. Working as a serious scientist alone in a big city was deeply fulfilling and she wouldn’t trade any of it for anything… but it Was lonely. So having an online friend like Mikey was a godsend and even if she couldn’t be online as often as she liked because of work obligations (and his odd hours he kept) it was nice to be able to chat with him for at least a couple of minutes every day.

Their most recent escapade had been especially fun and he really seemed to love getting to call her cutesy domestic names and pretend they were married even after they’d finished giggling over the ridiculous online minister’s accent and crazy username (seriously, what kind of person decides to maintain a username of di4BLo666 and be an online minister). That had been a little bit of a surprise, actually, that he’d kept it up for three days already but he was a sweetie and it was kindof cute so she played along.

It was nice to pretend to have family again.

How much more of a surprise was it, then, when she got a message from someone claiming to be Mikey’s brother all but begging her to pretend that the fake ceremony had been legally binding. It was admittedly a bit of a tough sell but once he was able to prove he was actually who he said he was (photographic evidence in this case was unsurprisingly all the convincing needed. How many mutant turtles were there in New York really) she was a bit more receptive to his request. A returned prank, a harmless one in his eyes, but there was quite a bit of negotiating involved.

He promised that, knowing his brother, she wouldn’t be obligated to do anything she was uncomfortable with. That Mikey would be respectful, and after one week of essentially doing what they were already doing that the jig would be up. She couldn’t argue much there, after all they already were pretending, so they could pretend a little harder for a few days without people getting hurt right? And his brother really did seem desperate to prank Mikey back. So she offered Donatello a deal.

[BioSciBlonde]: Alright. I’ll play along and pretend that the online marriage was legally binding IF you promise to make sure things don’t get out of hand on your end. My goal is to Not totally ruin a great friendship here and I really don’t want to hurt his feelings with this.

[BioSciBlonde]: And maybe a batch of cookies.

[BioSciBlonde]: Depends on how mean/scary the other brothers are about it.


	3. Chapter 3

Donatello was excited. While Mikey had wandered off in a zombie like fashion to go think, which was a little unusual, Don took the opportunity to speak to Mikes ‘wife’ and convince her to play along. It had taken a bit more to convince her than he would have liked, but he had secured her agreement to the prank on conditions.

[PappaTart] I am not wishing to harm my brother emotionally, but he does have this coming. He tends to prank us without worrying about our feelings until after the fact. However, I will make sure this does not go to far.

At least Don hoped he could keep Mike from getting hurt. The youngest of them was often a bit more emotional than what could be expected at times.

[PappaTart] The cookies are go as are any other pastries required to ensure your silence

[PappaTart] The others will be victims as well. No one else knows this is a prank but you and I. It needs to stay that way.

Don smiled and headed back to his lab as he prepares himself for Mikes return.

 

Mike had skated around, not too far from the lair, just so he could think for a bit. Married, for real? How did this kind of stuff happen. Sure it was fun to pretend, but actual marriage. That was different. Shadow didn’t like him like that, no one liked him like that. He sighed as he realized, no one would ever like him like that. 

He wasn’t even worried about himself. What about her, she was stuck with him until they could get it fixed. There had to be some kind of law that prevented random people from accidentally getting married. Don would probably know, yeah he would get Don to help him. He couldn’t do this to Shadow. He could not make himself ruin her life like this.

Sure, there was a small part of him that dared to hope she might not fully hate it and maybe it could work. Despite his usual optimism, Mike knew better. There was hope, and then there was just delusion and it would be delusional of him to think that any woman would want him. Much less want to be married to him.

He didn’t like the way that thought made him feel and wiped the tear that had escaped. No, this wasn’t about him. This was about her. He had to do whatever it took to make Shadow happy. He had to get this fixed, she couldn’t spend her life with a freak, a monster. She was smart, and beautiful, and funny, and kind, and nice, and … everything he ever wanted in someone. 

Mike hiccuped as he sucked in a breath and tried to push the pain down. He plastered his usual goofy grin on his face and headed back home. Forcing himself to sound cheerful he hopped back on his computer and messaged Shadow.

[BaraBoy_BabeMagnet] Hey, you got a minute? we need to talk. Maybe on the phone or we can meet up somewhere. I just think you need to be sitting down, that I know for sure

Shadow spent a good long time sitting down to think long and hard about what it was she was getting into. Marriage was a very serious thing and while SHE knew that it was a prank the point of it was that He wouldn’t. He would think it was real. And he would treat it like it was real. Which could either be really sweet and cute or it could be awful.

He was sweet and cute about things now but from what she’d heard marriage had some kind of magics that  _ changed _ people. Usually for the worse, if she was understanding things correctly. And that was a terrible thought. She really liked talking to him and while she’d never actually considered marrying him or anyone else it would be sad if it turned out that He was one of Those affected by the Marriage Magics. She really did want to keep up their friendship once this was over.

But then again what if he really put in a lot of time and effort to make the best of it that he could? What if he was actually a really great husband? She was a bit of a workaholic… a lot of a workaholic… and 110% that she’d be a terrible wife. Her line of work was dangerous, very dangerous, and the people in it doubly so. There was a reason she’d had to leave her own family behind and cut ties. So it wouldn’t really be fair to drop everything for a week and give him unrealistic expectations of what it would be like, right? Ugh what had she gotten herself into??

It was about this time her phone pinged to let her know that Mikey had messaged her and she looked it over with some trepidation. She didn’t really think she could pull off a convincing facial expression so she took the cop-out option and messaged him back, trying to make it sound like she was utterly clueless.

[BioSciBlonde] Yeah sure! It’ll have to be a phone call cause I’m up to my nose in laundry I’ve been neglecting >_> woops! Gotta get done tho cause I’m out of clean stuff to wear. Let me hang up a couple more shirts and then I’ll call :)

It wasn’t entirely a lie, she really did have laundry baskets that needed tending to. And once they had all been dumped onto the bed she dialed his number and waited for him to answer, snagging clothes to organize in order to have something to do to keep her tone light and conversational. “Hey Mike! What’s up honey?”


	4. Chapter 4

Mike waited for her to respond and he smiled. She sounded so cheerful, so blissfully unaware. Just doing her normal chores without a care in the world. He sighed, and now he was about to ruin not just her day, but her whole life. Mike had to take a few breaths to calm himself. He stopped crying long before he got back to the lair. He worked hard to make sure his brothers never saw his tears. 

One thing they thought was that he ran off to skate because he couldn’t focus. It was more than he could think and be himself and if he cried, no one was there to be upset about it. So as usual he plastered that smile on his face like he always did and tried to pretend like nothing ever got to him.

How did you tell a friend bad news. What if she blamed him, hated him, never wanted to see him again. He could be losing someone he cared so much about. Shadow was smart, like Don level smart, yet she never made him feel stupid. Sure he still felt stupid sometimes when she talked, but she wasn’t the one making him feel that way. 

Shadow was always nice to him, encouraged him, and even listened to him. Yeah so his ideas sometimes made no sense sometimes and he tended to ramble. He was sure she only humored him because he made her laugh. Chances were she probably thought he was just as stupid as everyone else thought he was. Still she was nice enough not to belittle him ever time he said something that was just to the left of normal.

Sucking in a breath and practicing smiling, laughing out loud a few times, he got his voice to sound right again. Now he could call and hopefully they would still be friends when it was over. Clearing his throat he dialed her number and waited. He could not help but smile for real. The cute nicknames were his favorite part of this whole thing. 

“Hey there babycakes, so are you sitting down?” He waited until she confirmed that she was indeed seated. “So.. I guess that internet wedding thing wasn’t as fake as we thought. Um.. turns out it was one of the real ones that are meant for people who can’t be near each other and want to get hitched, so um.. we are.. um.. well… kinda sorta actually married.” His voice changed at the end and his nervousness managed to eek through “please don’t hate me” He whispered more to himself than her. 

Now this was the part that required a bit of calculation and skill, even if she felt a little bit bad doing it. She didn’t answer right away, grateful that it was on the phone so he couldn’t see her counting seconds instead of actually freezing or paling or doing whatever it was that she should be doing. “I… what? I’m sorry… come again?”

She let him repeat himself and once again she counted out a few seconds of silent processing time, doing her best to pretend that she was hearing this for the first time. She did it plenty at work, feigned naïveté, and for lots of different reasons though admittedly it was a different thing to pretend you had never heard of giant talking turtles than it was to pretend you were rather suddenly married for real.

“Wow… ok. Um… that… wasn’t what I’d expected to hear when you said we needed to talk but… that’s… definitely a ‘we need to talk’ type of topic. I, uh, gotta be honest. I don’t really know how to respond to that. Just… give me a minute to process this, ok? I’m going to go quiet for a sec so I can think.”

She put him on mute so she could exhale loudly and tap her fingers on the headboard of the bed. He really was a good friend and influence on her, despite him being a posterboy for extroverts and her VERY introverted nature. He’d pointed out several really helpful things that she did without realizing, like suddenly going quiet without explanation, that made her come across in ways she really didn’t mean to. But by now they’d worked out a few small workarounds that helped things A Lot and actually carried over to make her workplace a better place too. So she had to word this next part carefully. Very, very carefully. Mute off.

“Ok. Alright. So… I’m surprised, but not upset. It’s unexpected but we can figure it out. Uhhhm… it’s probably going to be better to work out what happens next in a face-to-face conversation but we’ll figure it out. Ok? I’m still a bit shocked but we’ll figure this out together. Everything will be ok. We’ll just have to take it slow, figure out what works for us, and take a look at our options. You know, like, do we trade who’s house we eat dinner at and exactly how do we tell your dad without you losing an eye. Do you want to come here so we can figure out what happens now? I mean I’ve got a big pile of laundry on the bed but you could come here so your brothers don’t interrupt if you want?”


	5. Chapter 5

Mikey had expected her to need a moment. He was glad that she warned him, but this was one of the times where it wouldn’t have bothered him. He just hit her with some pretty intense and serious news. Anyone would need a moment in a situation like this. He was honestly surprised at how well she seemed to be taking it, maybe the reality had not quite settled in for her yet.

The suggestion to meet at her place and talk face to face was a good one. Sometimes he wondered if she forgot what he looked like because they spent most their time talking online or on the phone. They had such crazy schedules that face to face time did not happen all that often and so he was afraid that seeing him might make things worse. Right now she was just married to her best friend, once she looked at him and remembered what he looked like, then she would realize she was stuck with a freak for however long it took to fix this. 

“Uh.. yeah I can come over, maybe I can help you with your chores. I mean that would be what a good husband would do right?” His attempt at a joke only kind of worked for him. He was trying to be funny, but mostly he was trying to hide just how scared he was. What if she couldn’t handle it at all, what if she never wanted to be friends again. 

It was one thing to be friends with him, it was another thing to think of him in a romantic light. What if they started talking and she realized that married people had sex. Then she might picture having sex with him. What if she threw up all over her clean laundry, that would be awful. Mike was struggling not to cry again and had to cough a bit to get his throat to loosen so he didn’t sound weird. “I will be right over, then we can talk more.”

Mike hung up rather suddenly and flipped onto his stomach on his bed burying his face in his pillow. He had to get his emotions out now. It would be so much worse if she saw him like this. He was the happy, smiling, always in a good mood ready to brighten your day dude. She just couldn’t see this side of him. He wanted her to be his friend still. Mike didn’t want to lose her because he was a fucking stupid idiot that didn’t know any better. His brothers were right, maybe he was too dumb to live sometimes. 

Once he finished sobbing into his pillow Mike sat up and went to the bathroom to scrub his face. A fresh mask and his happy mask firmly applied, he felt safe leaving the lair and heading to her place. It didn’t take him long to get there and she left the window unlocked. Slipping in Mike called out and was just the big grinning idiot he was sure she was used to. “Honey, I’m hooome!”


	6. Chapter 6

Shadow put the phone down after an uncharacteristically fast hang up, looking at it with worry as she considered her options. Maybe this prank was a bad idea, it was a pretty heavy thing to turn into a practical joke. But maybe he was just excited and running over as fast as he could? He didn’t sound excited over the phone, though, he sounded terrified, and that wasn’t a very good sign. Still, she didn’t want to be hasty and it seemed to have paid off when a sing-song voice carried through the apartment and made her smile.

Maybe he was fine.

“In here, Mikey!” She replied loudly enough to carry around the corner, putting another shirt on a hanger and dropping it on the bed. He entered the room and she returned his signature smile with one of her own, arms lifting automatically and toes stretching up into optimal hugging position. Mikey really did give the very best hugs in the world and even with how long they usually lasted this one was a bit extra tight and long with Shadow refusing to let go for a little while. He could probably use it even with as cheery as he looked. “I don’t know about you but I really needed this.”

When she finally let him go she blushed a bit at the huge pile of laundry, apologetic for the mess but admittedly there Were more important things to worry about than that at the moment. “Sorry about all this, sometimes I get really behind. You don’t have to if you don’t want to but if you feel so inclined you can help me hang up shirts. Everything else is just piles for now, socks here and pants there if you run across things. Soooo… how are you feeling? What are your thoughts about… us? Being actually married and all that?”


	7. Chapter 7

Mike’s smile was genuine when she held her arms open for him. It always felt so good to hug her and while he knew their relationship was platonic it didn’t stop him from holding on maybe a bit too tight and too long this time. He didn’t want to let her go and when she said she needed this he fought not to bury his face in her neck. “Yeah, me too beautiful.” His hand stroked her back and his touch was maybe a tad more intimate than it had been in the past. 

While he was reluctant to let go Mike knew he had to. Stepping back a bit he looked at the bed covered in laundry and grinned a bit at her apologetic smile. “Have you seen my room? I mean yeah I don’t have quite so many clothes, but still…” He laughed a bit and waved off her apology like it wasn’t even a thing. “Now what kind of husband would I be if I left you to do all this...” his hand gestured at the bed covered in clothing “...alone?” 

Mike began sorting the piles as she directed and when he came to something that needed to be hung up, if her hands were empty he passed it to her. If not he grabbed a hanger and handled it himself. For some reason doing her chores was fine, when asked to do anything in the lair it was like pulling teeth with him. He wasn’t sure what the difference was really, but he honestly didn’t mind helping her. 

Of course he would have been content to just do chores and not actually talk about the stuff they needed to talk about. He had to think a bit on how he wanted to answer. “A couple different ways. I mean, being married to you, actually married. That is super awesome. I mean here you are an awesome hot chick who is super smart and the best at everything. What guy wouldn’t want to be with you, I mean I lucked out as I have the hottest and smartest wife on the planet!”

He was all grins while saying it, but his smile faded. “But… you didn’t ask for this. Neither of us did really. I mean you are kind of getting the short and fuzzy end of this particular stick. You get to be stuck with a mutant that can’t even go outside during the day. I mean yeah sure, my skate skills are off the hook and I am a badass ninja that saved the world.. Like… twice.. But still.” He shrugged. He wanted to say that no one would want to wake up next to someone that looked like him. Not that they would be sleeping together.

That thought really only made him think of what it might be like to actually be close to her like a real husband. It made something twist inside of him, and if it didn’t hurt so much he might be aroused at the thought of all the things couples did. His mouth just ran off without him. “I guess I feel bad because, neither of us really chose this. I know we can fix it, you won't have to be stuck with me forever. I promise you won't have to be chained down to me.  I just, don’t really know how to fix it just yet.”

He looks over at her and there is the smallest bit of hope in his baby blues. Yeah his emotions were all over the place but he was good at hiding them.  “Don said he would help but it might take him a week or so to figure it out. I .. I understand if you want to just avoid me until then if it makes you uncomfortable.” a statement that was punctuated by him holding up a pair of her panties and not realizing what he had at first. The look on his face was hilarious as he struggled to figure out what to do for a minute then just rolled with it and tried to fold them in a way he thought might work and made a little pile just for her panties.

“I am all down for making the best of it, but I get it if you don’t want to pretend anymore.” He kept sorting and folding clothes. His hands lingering on the items that felt soft or unusual to him, and maybe with her panties as well. As upset as he was, and boy was he hiding it, these were still a hot chicks panties and this was probably the closest he would ever come to seeing or touching anything like it so he was going to let himself enjoy it.


	8. Chapter 8

Shadow listened while he rambled, nearly dying of embarrassment when he ran across a pair of her intimates (they weren’t even one of her cute ones!!!) but he seemed to handle it just fine before she could get her throat to work well enough to tell him he absolutely Did Not have to touch those! Which, actually, was rather impressively mature of him. It was almost too bad that she was quietly dying inside because she had half a mind to compliment him on it.

There was plenty to think about though, as he continued to talk. And she let him go, uninterrupted, even though by the third comment about being tied to mutant she was about ready to stop him in his tracks and correct him. She clearly didn’t mind his mutated status as a friend, so why was he suddenly so hung up over his mutated body now that they were ‘married?’

Blinking to herself in surprise, once she asked herself that question, the answer became stupidly obvious and she internally cringed at herself for not thinking of that sooner. They never really had talked about their sexualities up to that point though on one or two occasions they’d commented back and forth mid-game online that all forms of sexualities were good and valid so long as it was between two adults who were making sure to honestly communicate regularly about their relationship. So it wasn’t too much of a stretch of the imagination to come to the conclusion that, because he didn’t know, it would be a big concern of his.

Or was it just insecurity? … maybe both?

Whatever the reason he was feeling body conscious Shadow had every intention of stomping out as much of that as she could here and now, snatching up a stack of pants to put away in their appropriate drawer. “Ok first, I’m no more chained or stuck to a mutant than you are chained and stuck with a workaholic. A workaholic who, by the way, literally works all day. So your 'can’t even go outside during the day’ is bogus because that’s when I’m working. So…. neither can I. The only time that Might come up would be the weekend and I sleep until at least noon on those days. So again, by the time I’ve showered and dressed and eaten and done my adulting things around the apartment it’s usually late in the day anyways.”

The embarrassment of having him handle her things was starting to fade as it started to become more apparent that his focus was less on what the article was used for and more on what it was made of, the subtle kneading of his fingers into the fabrics reminding her a bit of a cat. It was cute and endearing and while she continued to work on minimizing the pile (which was going much more quickly with an extra set of hands) she started to make a more concerted effort to pick things from the pile in such a way as to leave him the softer, silkier materials… minus panties. Those she did try to snag covertly without being obvious in case her own awkwardness started making him feel weird about it.

“So nobody is going to be avoiding anyone. I agreed to pretend to marry you days ago because I wanted to. Because you’re fun and sweet and you keep me laughing, you help me feel less alone in a big city like this, and you’re the best friend I have.” Though if she was being honest she would have used the word 'only’ instead of 'best’ but maybe it was better to leave that part out for now. “So maybe it’s carried over to real life a little more than we expected it would. That still doesn’t change the fact that I wanted to pretend to be married to you.”

Yay, and now it was time for the awkward part. Shadow’s cheeks darkened preemptively and she couldn’t quite raise her eyes to meet his right at first, with this being the first time it had really come up and was completely unsolicited. Hopefully it didn’t freak him out too much…

“Now… with that said… I’m super duper ok with making the most of it… except for one small thing WHICH, by the way, is 100% on me. I’m just demisexual, and no matter what skin color, body shape, weight, athleticism, or admittedly super sexy muscles you have I just can’t be intimate with anyone that I am not Level 20, super comfortable with, 'this person knows me as well as I know myself,’ we can and have talked about anything and everything type of best friends with. Heh, i don’t know if there’s such a thing as Demi-Pan but if there is then that’s me. So…” She looked up at him now, eyes watching his with humble honestly and deep sincerity, “I am 100% down for making the very best out of this but me, and just who I am, I just… need more time. Heh, I feel like we’re probably Level 10 friends right now which honestly means the world to me and you are seriously just… so gorgeously muscled I don’t even have words for it… but I hope it’s ok that we need to level up our friendship a little more first before we start worrying too much about intimacy? No matter how permanent this marriage is? I just really need that deep emotional connection first, it needs to mean something.”


	9. Chapter 9

Michelangelo listened as she spoke and nodded a few times. She didn’t really seem to grasp what he was trying to say, or maybe she did. Either way she seemed determined to make the best of it like he had wanted to do and that made something inside of him crack a little bit. He honestly felt like crying again but was able to keep that from showing. When she mentioned being a workaholic and sleeping till noon he chuckled. “I don’t mind your habits at all, as they seem to work for us. I tend to like to sleep in when I am allowed or I take naps. Mostly because I get bored if I am honest. I know we haven’t spent a ton of time together but we can if you want. I.. wouldn’t mind it really.”

Mike knew what he wanted but he was hesitant and frowned a bit as he looked at the bed but the expression was quickly wiped away. As he continued to fold clothes. He could feel the change in her before she saw it and was just holding clothes in his hands as she spoke. It took him a bit to grasp what she was saying and his eyes widened. He dropped the clothes on the floor and was almost in a panic before she finished. 

Mike was usually a bit more eloquent than say Donnie, but now he was a stuttering mess. “I ..wha.. What no.. no I.. that was.. Wasn’t.. I..i.. Uh..you.. No…” Mike swallowed and took a few slow deep breaths before bending down and picking up what he dropped. He folded it neatly and then folded something else. He was silent, dead silent, and his expression was blank which was unusual for him. He wasn’t smiling and appeared to be concentrating. “Shadow.. That… that wasn’t what I was getting at.” He stated quietly and did not look at her. 

Taking a deep breath and continuing to look away he just shrugged and then spoke. For once that happy mask was off and a little of who he kept hidden was showing. “I accepted that was never going to happen for me a long time ago. I think we have all come to terms with that truth. I wasn’t meaning anything.. Um.. intimate… I just meant like..” Now he was struggling. “Like right now, helping you fold clothes, things like that. I thought about it and I know that lots of women complain their husbands don’t do anything. I like to cook and yeah no one likes chores, but this isn’t bad. I was just thinking that, we didn’t have to change things. If you want to continue to only talk online and see each other on rare occasions that is fine, but I was… I guess I hoped maybe… making the best of it meant we could hang out more. Maybe watch movies together and I could cook for you, or you could come down to the lair and we could rocket board together or something..”

Trying to brighten the mood a bit he smiled at her and waggled his orange banded brow. “I would not say no to some platonic type snuggles or cuddles.” He laughed and shook his head looking away. “I am not saying share a bed with me, I would never ask that of anyone. I was just thinking of other domestic type stuff. I  dunno.. It might be fun. I mean.. For me at least. I am sure it is boring as hell for you and you have the opportunity to be married for real and all that so I dunno, maybe you can use me as a practice husband?” He had this weirdly hopeful yet almost sad look in his eyes when he turned to her. “This is as close to being married for real as I am ever going to get, but I don’t expect you to agree to give me that unless it is something you want too.” 

He forced a smile on his face. “I would be super thrilled to be your husband, even temporarily! I mean you are the smartest, sexiest, most awesome woman in New York!” He laughs and gently nudges her with an elbow, testing his boundaries for physical touch and just wanting to change the mood to something more playful because if he didn’t he just might cry again. This whole situation made him realize everything he was never going to have and if all he got was a week, then dammit he was going to do everything he could to make it the best week either of them had ever had. 


	10. Chapter 10

Shadow had been nervous about bringing up the whole issue of intimacy but in her mind the awkwardness now would be better than getting into an even more awkward situation mid-cuddle should his terrapin side turn a bit more octopus-like. In her mind it was clear that the issue was not at all in his genetic structure but more-so the typical tendencies she’d learned to anticipate from his gender. And while he seemed to be struggling through that distinction she let him go without interruption, knowing that sometimes it was helpful to let people simply talk things through with a sympathetic ear than with a critical mouth.

Which meant that while he’d said plenty of things she deeply and fundamentally disagreed with she smiled at his eyebrow wiggle and giggled at the shoulder bump. “This snuggle monster is always down for platonic cuddles. And I really did understand that you weren’t asking for intimacy but I just wanted to talk about it now so that we were on the same page. Snuggles, hugs, pokes, even cheek kisses if the mood is right are all fine. I have no problems with touching or physical contact, I love it actually! And if you ever actually get around to putting me on your rocket board you’ll have to peel me off of you with a shoe horn.”

The rest of the laundry passed quickly once the conversation turned more lighthearted and fun, as did the rest of the week. Mikey was actually a fantastic cook, something that Shadow definitely did not excel at, and it was a skill he showed off every night when she returned home from work. He was fun to be around, always quick with a joke or a casual flirtatious compliment, and it became very quickly apparent to Shadow that he was also too damn eager to please her. She was honestly starting to feel spoiled with all of the affection and kindness and food, she just couldn’t keep the score even between them and it was getting harder and harder to remember that this was supposed to be a practical joke.

Where was the humor in the deafening silence that echoed through the apartment after he had to go home for the night?

So spoiled was she that finally towards the end of the week she determined that there HAD to be something she could do to level the playing field. And so she set up a plan. Checking with Donnie, who then checked with Leo, she secured permission for him to skip patrol for the night and collected the promised desserts while Mikey was napping in his room. Hot water bottles lined the bottom of a cooler to keep takeout hot and Mikey was texted to let him know that he shouldn’t start cooking dinner that night because Shadow had a surprise for him.

Which finally led to the two piled into her car after her shift ended on Friday night and they started driving west. “Alright, now that I have you for the night, I can finally tell you what the surprise is. I’m taking you on a date to my favorite place in the state of New York for a midnight picnic! It’s a long drive though so there’s snacks in the back seat.” The mini road trip went smoothly enough, with plenty of songs on the radio and gossip from work to keep them occupied for the two hour drive out into essentially the middle of nowhere.

The last 30 or so minutes took them up and over the wooded Appalachian Mountains, Shadow finally stopping at a small camp ground parking lot. She was so excited that walking to their destination wasn’t physically possible, but with Mikey’s ninja training he had zero problem keeping up with the bobbing mop of curls as she dashed through the trees until finally she pulled up short at a lake in a clearing blanketed in fireflies while a brilliant sky full of stars twinkled overhead. There was one small wooden picnic table, paint faded from years of weathering, but it was sturdy and she set the drinks down on it softly. Then smiling and holding her arms out wide to gesture to the grand scene she announced above the low croak of little frogs nearby, “Welcome to my favorite place in all of New York State. I come here sometimes when I need to get away from the city… I hope you like it. It’s… ” she looked around again, growing a bit nervous that maybe it didn’t hold the same appeal for him as it did for her, “… not much, but I wanted to share it with you. I thought we could have our picnic here and just talk for a little while.”


	11. Chapter 11

Mike had done his absolute best to be the most amazing husband possible. Which was why he got a text from Shadow saying not to cook dinner his chest tightened. Had he messed up, was she tired of him already. He laid it on too thick, yeah that was it. He was smothering her and she just wanted some space. That was ok, he wasn’t going to panic, wasn’t going to cry. She didn’t hate him and everything about him, it was just a little space. 

When his phone dinged for a second time he was almost afraid to look, but was glad he did. Oh, it was a surprise. She didn’t hate him she wanted to surprise him. Soon after a text from Leo followed saying he could skip patrol. Ok now his night was looking amazing and he was practically vibrating when Shadow showed up and ushered him into her car, which was a little awkward for a while as he had to be covered with a blanket until they left the city. It was hot and uncomfortable and he was glad when he was finally able to come out. 

The road trip was fun, even if he felt weirdly cramped because this vehicle was not made with a shell in mind. Anything longer and he might have started to whine. The music and snacks kept him distracted enough as did the conversation. He had Shadow laughing so much that she had to snap at him to stop or she would kill them both. Mikey relented, but only a little bit. 

When they finally parked Mikey took a long time to stretch, maybe a little too long, but that car was cramped. He ended up having to bolt after her with the rest of the things from the car. His ninja skills made it easy to catch up but hs stopped short at the view. Mike had only ever seen scenery like this on TV, he wasn’t even sure if it was really real or not. Everything looked like it was in super HD and he wanted to touch it. 

Mike was too stunned to talk at first. He just stood there holding the rest of their stuff and staring. He had never seen so much….not city. He wasn’t sure what he should be feeling right now, but one of those emotions was completely overwhelmed. It took several moments for him to just snap out of it and carry the rest of the picnic equipment to the table. 

“S.. sorry. I just.. I have never seen anything like this.” He is easily distracted by every new sound and finds something else to look at. Leaving poor Shadow to unpack their dinner. It took her a few moments to sort everything out while Mikey took in the nature around him. For some odd reason he wanted to get naked and just roll around for a while. Not sure where that thought game from he turned and looked at Shadow his blue eyes bright. “This is just… amazing!”

He completely spaced that she said she wanted to talk, because if he had remembered he might not be so cheerful because it sounded a little too much like the dreaded ‘we need to talk’ statement that was so greatly feared. Finally he sat down at the table, but he was sitting next to her and turned slightly towards her. He didn’t want to miss the view, but also wanted to look at her. His voice was quiet and gentle when he spoke. “Thank you Shadow, for sharing this with me.”


	12. Chapter 12

Oh how great a relief it was to see him so captivated by her favorite place, feeling much of the same wonder that was plastered all over his face echoing in her chest. It was always terrifyingly difficult to open up to people, their inability to appreciate the things she held most dear a painful blow that she couldn’t help but turn away from. She really didn’t mean to draw a line and build a wall at whatever level of closeness was reached before the casual slight but if they couldn’t see how this thing or that thing was important to her then how could they understand her as a person?

So it was with visible relief she let him take one more step into her heart, taking his hands with a playful grin and pulling him up off the bench. “Thank you for not thinking it’s silly. Now come catch a firefly with me.” She kept hold of his hand as she ran, giggling, around one side of the lake to where more of the little lightning bugs were lazily flashing in the night. Dinner was laid out but it could wait, the little critters wouldn’t be out all night and she intended to take advantage of the short time while they had it. They chased bugs for a good 30 minutes, catching them in cupped hands and admiring them for a moment before letting them fly away again, until the flickers began to be fewer and farther between. Then offering Michelangelo a hand to hold again led him back around to their picnic table for lukewarm food.

“Did you know that they light up by mixing chemicals in their bodies to find a mate? It’s kind of poetically beautiful. They use everything they have to make themselves shine as brightly as they can in a pattern as they fly around through the night, looking for another little bug that will like them for how they glow. It’s dangerous, because if they can be seen by a potential mate then they can be seen by predators too, but the risk is worth it so they keep on flashing in the hopes of finding someone.”

She gave his hand a little squeeze, wanting to duck under his arm but unsure if it would ruin the mood, a soft sad smile on her lips. “It’s kindof funny how when you feel lonely it’s a lot easier to see loneliness in other things too. Being here in New York has been life changing but it also meant leaving everyone I ever knew back in Colorado. It was hard, and it still gets hard sometimes. Especially during the holidays. But… science sleeps for no one and I work with dangerous people. I’d feel awful if anything happened to my family because they got mixed up in my life. So… it’s just me out here. I guess what I’m saying is… thank you for everything you did this week. It’s… been amazing and I’m really going to miss the feeling of having someone to come home to. I’d forgotten what it was like to have a best friend. The apartment’s going to feel really empty without you.”

Shadow was going to have to have some words with Donatello and make sure that it never got out that it had been a joke. Mikey really had put his heart into this week and done his best to make her feel special and if it got out that the two of them had been playing a prank on the orange-banded turtle he could really get his feelings hurt. Maybe in a while, some number of months or years in the future it would be fine to admit, but not while everything was so fresh.

“I’m not saying that to try to guilt you into drawing anything out, by the way.” She quickly clarified, looking up at him with wide, sincere eyes. “Your family has been so sweet to let you come spend so much time with me but I know you do need to get back to your normal schedule with them. I just want you to know how truly nice it’s been to be less alone for a week, and I feel like I’m doing a really terrible job of it without coming across as a ‘poor pitiful me’ thing. So for that I apologize. I kind of suck at saying what I’m feeling in a way that means what I’m saying. The only emotion I’m trying to communicate is just deep gratitude, and I hope that’s coming across.”


	13. Chapter 13

She was holding his hand, she was holding onto it and not letting go. At least not for a bit and it was amazing. Catching the bugs had been a wholly unique experience. Something he had heard about but never thought he would experience for himself. He didn’t want to let go, he never wanted to let go, but he had to. Not just because they were back at the table and needed to eat, but because the week was ending and Don was soon to find a way to undo this. Mike wanted to cry, but he couldn’t, not in front of her. She had to see the happy, only the happy, never the pain.

Despite the assumption that he had the attention span of a gnat on crack, Mike was an attentive listener and he made sure she knew it as he made eye contact when she spoke. He listened to her fears and worries, her words of loneliness striking him to his core. He knew what it was like to be alone, to feel alone, because he would always be alone. This was the most wonderful week of his life, and he never wanted it to end but it had to. Happiness didn’t belong to people like him. He didn’t get a happily ever after. He would have to watch as she eventually found someone and found her happiness, her life, her love, a family, and he would be her best friend. Through it all, he would never stop being there for her. 

As she spoke of her life, her trials and joys, and expressed her gratitude Mike wanted to pull her close and tell her everything in his heart. He wanted to tell her she didn’t have to be alone, the week didn’t have to end. He wanted to ask if they could just, keep living like this, keep pretending. It was a beautiful lie, their relationship. It hurt and he wanted the hurt to end, but there was so much more than pain. Mike loved that he made her feel less alone, because she made him feel less alone too.

A sly half grin crossed his face and he put on his best joking tone. “You know, we don’t have to stop pretending to be married. I mean before all this, we were just doing it for fun. You can still practice on me until you meet someone. I don’t mind really. “He laughed a bit, but every laugh was a stab in the heart as he tried to make a joke of his own pain. “Honestly, I don’t mind the schedule interruption. I just.. I like spending time with you, but I get it. You want your life back. I can imagine it has been hard to live a normal life with me hanging around.” He rubbed the back of his head, a nervous gesture. 

Mike could feel his jaw getting tight, that familiar sensation when he felt like he might cry. He had to do something, change the subject, anything to try and make it so she wouldn’t see that he was sad. “Really, you don’t have to thank me for this. I… this has been..well. It’s been the best week of my whole life.” Mike let that honesty slip and knew he might pay for it later. Still, he just couldn’t stop himself. 

Those baby blue eyes locked onto hers. Mike had always found her beautiful, but she was so much more than that. She was smarter than he could ever hope to be. Someone with a kind heart, a gentle soul, but fun loving. Shadow got him in ways others just didn’t. He was comfortable with her. She was his best friend, and he loved her. The problem was, somewhere along the way, he also fell in love with her. Now he wasn’t sure how to make that part stop. 


	14. Chapter 14

Mikey was too precious, absolutely too precious, and she could feel her emotions swelling up in her chest at his shy confession. Warm baby blue eyes searched hers with what felt like a silent plea for understanding and despite the fact that dinner was likely cold by now her arms were magnetically drawn to him, wrapping around him in an automatic response to how damn illegally adorable he looked. Even standing on her toes her slender 5'6" frame only just barely made it up to his shoulder, meaning he had to lean down just a bit to settle into optimal hugging position. Thankfully they’d been getting lots of practice and the motion was becoming more second-nature with time.

“You’re welcome to come over anytime you want to, Mikey.” There was no reason to speak above a low murmur with him so close, especially when the usual busy city noises of traffic and bustling that never seemed to stop were replaced with the soft singing of frogs and crickets, even if it did make the atmosphere a bit unintentionally intimate. “Especially since you know my schedule so well. I don’t know what part of a ‘normal life’ you think I’ve been missing out on this last week but I can assure you that there’s no part of my schedule that you’ve been intruding on by coming over.”

And it was true. Honestly there wasn’t much point to just sitting around in an empty apartment alone so it was a rare thing for her to work a traditional 40 hour week. Usually it was at least 60. And even then her “leisure time” at home usually consisted of going to the gym or spending time online with Mikey. This had been one of the very few weeks since her career began that she’d had a reason to come home at a reasonable time, and while it meant her paycheck would be smaller this month it was definitely a worthwhile trade.

Especially with all of the unexpected perks that came with having him come over every evening. Apparently touch starvation really was a thing and the extra hugs and snuggles had done wonders for her mental health. And Mikey’s silliness was steadily improving her demeanor, giving her noticeably more patience at work. People had started asking each other, she could hear their whispers from her desk, and thankfully the lie that it was due to taking up meditation had been plausible enough to stick. “You’re the best thing to happen to me since I’ve moved to New York. You’re the one person I don’t have to pretend for, at work I have to be this callous, tough, sometimes mean person so I don’t get stepped on. It’s a lot like that animated movie, How to Train your Dragon.”

Shadow chuckled a bit and shook her head at herself, knowing that if anyone at work found out she loved Disney and Dreamworks she would NEVER hear the end of it. “It’s a kid’s show, I wouldn’t blame you if you hadn’t seen it. But they start the movie with how evil the dragons are and then slowly the protag figures out that dragons are actually goobers that only act mean so they don’t die. That movie really resonates with me. Everyone at work thinks I’m terrifying. But with you I can just be me, I don’t have to hide behind a mask. So if you still want to keep calling me wifey I have no problems with keeping up with the cute pet names and such. Seems only fitting that my hubby, pretend or not, is the person who gets to see who I am inside. And I hope you feel the same way too, I’d feel terrible if I ever did something that made you feel like you couldn’t be yourself with me.”


	15. Chapter 15

The hug was glorious. Mike never wanted to let go. She was all soft and warm and soft. He held her tight to his body, but still being careful not to crush her. His muscular arms holding her to him as if she were the most precious thing in the world. He only let go because he was afraid he was holding on too long and didn’t want it to get weird or feel creepy to her. 

Mike chuckled a bit at her mention of the movie. “You are much cuter than toothless though.” he teased. “Actually I love animated movies, we should add some to our movie night list. Pixar is great, but we should totally start with How to Train your Dragon.” He laughs again. “We need to make one called  How to Train your Turtle, and have if focus on getting Raph not to be a butt!” Jokes were easy, they helped hid the pain and had the added benefit of making Shadow laugh. Her laugh was the best thing ever and anything he could do to make her laugh he would. 

When she mentioned that she wanted him to be himself, he knew what she meant. She wanted the happy Mikey, everyone wanted happy Mikey. No one wanted the Mikey he was when he was alone, no one. So she got happy Mikey even if he died inside just a little every time he realized she would never love him back. Still if she was willing to keep pretending, then so was he and he would take anything he could get.

Mikey was all smiles on the outside and was doing his best to make sure that was all that showed. “I am totally down with continuing to be the hubby to your wifey.” He tries to pretend as though the idea he is about to share was sudden and not one he had been thinking of for a while. “You know, maybe we could do one of those pact things. Like, say if in 10 years or whatever number of years, if you aren’t married then we get married for real? Like I would say if neither of us are married, but let's be realistic here. You are really the one with prospects what with your smartness and hotness.” He waggles his eyebrows trying to make it seem like the pact thing was just him playing around, maybe a joke. The reality was that it was real to him. Maybe she would not have chosen him to begin with, but if she never ended up with any viable options, who knows maybe settling for him wouldn’t be the worst thing.

“I mean, you would still be settling for me, but at least you know what you would be getting.” Mike made a show of flexing at her and posed a few times then waggled his brows and flexed a bit more before stopping. “I am pretty hard to resist right?” please say I am, please love me back. Was all Mike could think and he hoped that she could not see it in his eyes. 

While he was worried about overdoing it a bit, he had to in order to hide how afraid he was. How much he worried that Don’s words would change something. That it no longer being required would have her pulling away from him. It wasn’t even about the sex, which at this point he was fine with never having if it meant she would feel even a fraction for him that he felt for her. 

Sitting down he looked at her, ignoring the food. More than anything he wanted to tell her what was in his heart. Those baby blue eyes of his so expressive when he wished they weren’t. How did you tell your best friend you were in love with them and not have it ruin everything? Trick question, you can’t. There is no how, so he just kept it to himself and hoped that he wasn’t already giving himself away.

“I will always be there for you Shadow, in any way that you will have me.” it was the closest to I love you that he could allow himself to come. Just reaffirming their friendship. “I also will totally never turn down snuggles!” He opens his arms and waggles his brows trying to lighten the mood and hide behind his usual goofy demeanor. “You know you want front row seats to this gun show.”


	16. Chapter 16

“Front row seats, huh? What about a backstage pass?” She teased back, moving to sit in his lap so that they were both facing the lake. If Mikey had asked about a marriage pact five days ago the answer would have been a resounding no. Gently delivered, obviously, but just as firm. Marriage was not in her 5, 10, or 20 year plan. How could it be? Her CEO was Oroku Saki and her general manager was Baxter Stockman. You don’t just bring someone into that life. Not unless they were ex-navy seal or otherwise equally capable of taking care of themselves. No random, ordinary citizen would stand a chance if things went sideways. And… unfortunately… it was very, very unlikely that anyone involved with any branch of navy or military or Air Force would have much tolerance for a life like hers. Not with her current employment status.

And if they were, what were the chances they’d get along?

Nope. Marriage was not in her plans for the future. Not even marginally. But a week after making it work with Michelangelo? After seeing and feeling how nice it was to pretend to be married? Comparing that with the mere handful of years of loneliness that she’d already lived and what a whole lifetime being alone might be like? Seeing those big beautiful eyes trained so reverently on hers, even if it was immediately covered up by eyebrow waggles and flexing?

Now there was something to consider.

Of course Mikey’s antics didn’t exactly hurt either, his flexing and posing and preening having successfully pulled a few giggles and maybe a blush out of the pensive scientist. He wasn’t asking for them to be married tomorrow, after all, or the week after. 10 years though… would either of them still be alive in 10 years?

“IF we’re going to do this,” she started with a slow grin that he might not be able to see but hopefully could hear in her voice, “then we need to be on the same page about a few things. Thing one: 10 years is too long. WAAAAAY too long. Seriously, with the kinds of jobs we both have we’ll be lucky to both still be in one piece in 10 years, Mr. Ninja who takes on literally every bad guy in New York City. I’d rather not agree on a time so far into the future one or both of us might not still be around to see it happen. Now obviously I’d want us to find a number we could both be happy with, but how about a number between two and five? See… The way I see it our situation goes like this: either we’re still best friends in said number of years or we’re not, either because one of us got blown up or because we had some kind of falling out or something. If we are still best friends then by that point we’ll probably be spending enough time together that we might as well and if we’re not best friends anymore because we had a falling out or somebody’s dead by that point then it’s safe to assume the "contract” is null and void.“

Mikey may have brought it up as a joke but there were a growing number of little things that were piling up that made it feel like she should consider relabeling him as ‘how deep the still waters run’ instead of 'class clown.’ And if that was the case then somehow she needed to figure out how to crack open that shell of his… metaphorically speaking of course. Actually cracking him open would be horrible. And in this case that meant treating this as a very serious offer, which meant it was going to get her own personal mental comb-through. Though… just in case she was reading him wrong she did add a caveat.

"Hypothetically speaking, of course, since you haven’t said how serious you are about this idea. Thing two that we should probably agree on would be,” pausing here she reached around and poked him in the side for emphasis, “ _ somebody _ needs to wake up a little bit about just how fantastic he is and recognize that  _ neither _ of us would be settling for anything with this agreement. And I mean it. Ok?

"I’d … like to share something with you and I’m going to do my best to have it make sense but it’s… it’s the closest I can come to sawing open my chest and letting you see what’s inside without actually trying to show off any internal organs. I mean… showing you my spleen doesn’t actually help anything but hopefully this will. It’s like… my North Star. My compass. The thing that I go back to all the time that keeps me moving in the direction I need to go. I understand feeling small and alone, and I understand that being a mutant is hard in ways that I will never experience. But I hope that after I share this you’ll see that I really do genuinely consider you my equal, at the very least. And that I really don’t think ending up as your real wife would be settling at all, even if we might not be quite ready for that step just yet. And maybe it’ll help you understand me and where I’m at a little better.”


	17. Chapter 17

Mike froze when she climbed into his lap, straight up froze for like at least 20 seconds. He swallowed and before he could stop himself his arms were around her holding her close and he was leaning his face closer to her. He had not quite pushed his face into her hair or against her neck, but he was damn close and oh so tempted. Instead he waited, trying to get a feel for her mood to see if it would be ok to advance their physical contact a bit. She was the one that sat on him, it would really only be fair. 

He chuckled a bit at her observation of their dangerous lifestyles. “Hey now. You know I will keep you alive for ever. Nothing is going to get you while I am around.” He chews his lip a bit as she mentions them settling on a fewer number of years. “I just… didn’t want you to not have enough time you know?” He also didn’t want to seem too eager but couldn’t help himself. “So.. hypothetically speaking, would I sound desperate if I chose two years?” His voice was a little small, almost uncertain. He wanted to give her enough time, but he already knew how he felt and he doubted anything would change that.

Mike listened to her own hypothetical situation and replayed it in his head a few times. As much as he only wanted her to see his happy side, he knew that he was being unfair by not outwardly treating this seriously. He just didn't want to break down. Now that she could not see his face he could talk without fear of her seeing his mask slip. 

“I want you to know, I do take this seriously.” His voice was calm, quiet, gentle. A tone she probably wasn’t used to hearing. “When I said this was the best week of my life, I meant it, really.” Mike chews his lip some more as he thought about what he wanted to say. “I could never feel like I was settling with you. You are the most amazing, most beautiful, smartest, most wonderful woman I have ever met. I am …. Honored to be your best friend and if it ever leads to something more I will be even more honored.” He chuckled a bit as he fought back tears. “.. not to mention the happiest turtle alive.”

Mike knew he had to stop talking or he was going to reveal things he did not want her to know. He didn’t want her to realize how truly sad he really was and how desperate he was to keep her close. He would give anything in the world for her to feel for him what he felt for her, but he would take friendship in a heartbeat because at least it meant he was close to her. 

“You know you can tell me anything Shadow. I will always keep your secrets and I will always be here to listen, even if I don’t always understand. I want to know you better, I enjoy being close to you and spending time with you. I only want to make you happy.” He couldn’t stop himself from pulling her a bit closer, holding her a bit tighter, leaning his head forward just a bit more. So close to touching her with his face, he wondered if she could feel his breath on her neck through her hair. Should he pull back? Was he already reaching for more than he should, than he had been offered.


	18. Chapter 18

It was surprising to hear his tone change so much, so quickly. It reminded her of her high school boyfriend and the times when they’d wanted to talk about important things. Confessions or secrets or tender things kept close to the heart. Both of them had had times where they’d have to ask if the other could just turn around, that looking into their eyes and seeing the other’s reaction was too frightening and that they just needed that buffer there. Did Mikey feel the same way? That seeing her reaction was more than his nerves could take?

Maybe he did, especially with how seriously he seemed to be taking this pact. The possibility of a future together. She’d had talks like this, heard things like this, before. And while she wasn’t ready for it yet, it was clear that Michelangelo had at least thought about it. And that was a delicate piece of information that she dutifully filed away for closer examination some other time.

“Remind me to tell you about Jonathan sometime. He was someone from back when I lived in Colorado, you remind me a lot of him.” Of course it would have been more accurate to say ‘remind me to tell you about my high school sweetheart that I almost married at 18’ but now didn’t feel like the time or place. Maybe another day, or another night, under another blanket of stars.

For now though she leaned back against him, head tilting so her temple rested against his cheek, and she pointed heavenward. “Look up at the stars. Every little tiny light is a sun like ours. And around so, so many of them are planets. There’s so many you couldn’t count them all even if you spent your whole life trying. The universe is so huge we don’t even have a good way to wrap our heads around how enormous it is. And we have our little neighborhood, our Solar System. And even in our own neighborhood our planet is pretty small. We’ve sent telescopes and satellites and all kinds of stuff out there and honestly we are just this tiny speck of dust. Pictures of us from Saturn are a single blue dot. And that’s just in our own neighborhood.”

“And you have all these people. Billions of people all living on this one little blue dot and… they’re all so mean. I mean really, horribly mean to each other and everything around them. Emperors and kings and tyrants and all of the horrible things they’ve done… for what? So they can be king of the dot for a blink of an eye? I mean we haven’t found ANY other plants out there with life on them. So far as we know… we’re it. There was the space ship that came out of the sky a while back but that was from a whole other dimension. Not even our own universe. We might honestly be the only planet in this universe with life on it. We might be totally alone in this incomprehensibly enormous universe of uncountable numbers of suns and stars and planets.”

“And yet… nobody gets it. Nobody understands that We’re It. That it’s literally the stupidest thing in the entire universe to think that Anyone is less important than someone else based on stupid things like hair color or body type or hell, even species! I mean if we’re literally the only living, thinking things in the whole universe so far then every damn one of us is cosmically beautiful and worth so, so much. No matter what we look like. We’re here for a blink of an eye, on a dot, and people are spending their lives doing things like murdering each other because of skin color.”

It felt a bit stupid to get worked up over the idea of eternity and infinity but a few tears rolled down her cheeks all the same. Now it was time to wrap it all up and tie all of that rambling together in a way that hopefully made sense. “So if you were to crack me open and take a look at what my compass looks like, it looks like this. The night sky all full of stars. A reminder that everyone is beautiful and worthwhile and that judging them based on anything superficial is stupid, because we’re only here for a second. And if I’m going to do something, then I need- not want- I need to do something with my life that’s going to still be here after I’m gone.”

“Mikey, I work with dangerous people and I know that my family, my friends that I left behind, have lives that are worth living without my choices threatening them. I chose this life because I’m doing work that will matter after I’m gone. I can’t… I can’t bring someone else into the danger that comes with my choices unless they can keep themselves safe. You keep calling yourself a practice husband and telling me that I have options but I will not endanger the life of someone else just so that I won’t feel so cosmically alone. And that won’t change in two, five, ten, or 25 years. I don’t think we’re ready to choose to be married to each other yet, there’s still a lot we need to learn about each other first, but I need you to understand that my "options” and “availability” have nothing to do with being human or today’s society’s idea of “beautiful.” My requirements for future husband material begin and end with whether or not they are willing and able to protect themselves, how they treat the people around them, and whether or not we can talk openly and honestly with each other about anything and everything. You matter to me, you are an intelligent being on this little blue pebble just like I am, and because every life is just as important as mine I have no desire to doom some random Business Jo’s brief life to being cut short if I make a mistake. I don’t know if that changes your mind about making a marriage pact but… there you go.“


	19. Chapter 19

Mike had to wonder who Jonathan was, but understood it was a discussion for another time. Plus he was suddenly distracted by the feel of her pressed more firmly back against him. Her soft warm skin against his cheek. It took every ounce of willpower in his body to keep from turning just so he could kiss her temple. That would be too much, far too much and far too soon. Maybe later, another time or another place a kiss on the temple would be acceptable. 

He watched her movement and followed her pointing. His eyes catching the stars. There were so many. No matter how much time he spent on rooftops, he had never seen this many stars. It was both humbling and terrifying as she spoke of the vastness of space. He wasn’t stupid, he could grasp the concept. That didn’t make it less frightening. To try and imagine something so huge it was beyond normal comprehension. His brother could probably comprehend it, and he felt something inside of him twist. Shadow would be better off with Don, they had more in common. 

Here she was explaining the universe and he was only barely keeping up. Don wouldn’t be struggling, wouldn’t be afraid. He would probably go all science brain on her and they would just talk forever. Mike’s eyes burned with unshed tears as he realized that he would never be good enough for Shadow. Even if she could get past the turtle thing, he was too stupid for her. Don was perfect, he was just like her. Smart, gentle, and Mike was pretty sure that Don was a demi like Shadow. Honestly how did he miss how perfect for each other they were. 

As much as it killed him inside Mike realized that he might have to let her go, let his brother have the opportunity to know her. Her happiness was more important than his own and if that meant letting her be with someone else, then that was what he would do. Don fit the other criteria as well. They could all easily take care of themselves, there was little to worry about there. So now he just had to find a way to get the two of them together, to show them how perfect they were for each other. 

A tear almost escaped as the small flicker of hope inside Michelangelo began to die. He would be alone, forever. He would never find another person like her, even if he found someone willing to overlook his physical appearance, they wouldn’t be Shadow. He would probably love her for the rest of his life, and that would never change. Her happiness was more important than his own. He just had to get them together and then everything would be ok. Could you die from loneliness? He had to wonder if that would be what finally killed him.

His arms tightened just a bit, a small almost imperceptible shudder running through him as he fought back the emotions he was feeling. He couldn’t let himself cry. He had to hold on, had to be brave for her. He had to make sure she found her happiness. Then he could let the sadness swallow him. Once she was happy she wouldn't even notice him anymore, no one would, and he could just fade away. 

To hide the strain in his voice Mike had to whisper. “Everything inside of you is beautiful, just like the sky above us. You are so full of light, so bright I almost feel blinded by it.” He knew he was being corny but it was the only way to hide his pain. He had to keep his plan a secret just like his love for her. “I know your life is dangerous, as is mine. One of my biggest fears is that I find someone willing to love me, but then something will happen and I won’t be able to save them.” 

Mike turns his face to bury it in her hair. It was already hard not to cry now he was making it worse. He nuzzles at her, letting himself feel that closeness just this once. He would have to shift gears and focus on setting her up with Don, but maybe just for a bit he could pretend that it was him she would actually be with. “Just don’t give up on it. There is someone out there perfect for you. Someone strong, and smart, and kind, just like you. Someone that can take care of not only themselves, but you as well. I know you will find them, you deserve it. More than anyone you deserve it.” His voice dropped so low, so quiet, it was hard to hear. “I only ever want you to be happy.” even if it isn’t with me. He left the last part unsaid as he always did when he confessed his love for her. Only when he was alone did he allow himself to voice his true feelings, and now he was doomed to have that be his life forever. 

There was no hope for him, not even with the pact. She would fall for Don so easily, Mike knew it would hurt, probably kill something inside of him, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was Shadow, and her happiness and her getting everything she deserved in life. Which meant she needed someone better, she deserved someone better. Now he just has to get Don on board, but that wouldn’t be hard once he realized how smart and beautiful and wonderful Shadow was. How could anyone not love her? She was perfect.


	20. Chapter 20

Shadow’s face scrunched up at how adorably, unbearably cheesy Mikey was being. She might have said something about it if his tone hadn’t been just as collected and even as before but as it was the sweet little sap was just tugging on her insides and making her blush. Not for too long, however, as his confession and nuzzling soon had her features smoothing out into a small smile. One hand reached up to cup the one cheek she could reach and Shadow leaned in to his face, deeply understanding of that exact fear.

That next part almost had her snorting with laughter though, nearly ruining the moment but she bit her lip to keep it in. ‘Don’t give up’ he says. 'Someone strong and smart and kind is out there’ he says. 'You deserve it’ he says. As if he wasn’t already all of those things and hadn’t been saying the most heartbreakingly adorable things all night. Well, she didn’t know about how he felt exactly (though she did feel like she had a good guess) but after tonight he was looking a whole lot like he was made out of boyfriend material. It probably wasn’t time to bring that up just yet but it was definitely something to stick into her back pocket for another day.

“I don’t know about 'deserving’ anything, I haven’t really done anything that karma needs to reward me for, but that’s very sweet of you to say. Heh, better be careful with all that sweetness though. You might just make me fall in love with you.” She wouldn’t call her tone 'sultry’ by any stretch of the imagination but the playful tease was certainly low and smooth. Which brought her thoughts back to the Marriage Pact and his earlier question about seeming desperate if they agreed on two years. Shadow’s stomach did a little nervous flip-flop at the thought that, since she knew she wasn’t looking to go on dates or find anyone else, she was basically outlining when they could / would be getting married. Unless things fell through. But still, if he still wanted to do this it basically meant being betrothed to him and that meant she was sitting on her future husband.

Yep, and there went another little flip-flop. “How about two years. In two years if neither of us are married then we’ll get married to each other. There’s a quote somewhere by someone that says 'It’s better to have loved and lost then not loved at all’ and maybe with our dangerous lives then maybe one or both of us is going to die early. Hard to say, but silly to avoid the whole venture because of it. So I think if there’s a good chance that at least one of us is going to have our luck run out eventually then it’s silly to waste time waiting around when we both seem to be pretty good at making each other happy. Death is inevitable so we might as well make the most of what time in life we’ve got.”

She held up her pinky, grinning at the thought of taking a life-altering, probably permanent decision and making a pinky promise out of it. Wasn’t that exactly what she liked best about being around him, the playful silliness he pulled out of her? “No good eternal pact is complete without a pinky promise. Whaddya say? Be my best friend for two more years and then, if neither of us are married, be my best friend who is also stuck with listening to me snore for the rest of our lives?”


	21. Chapter 21

Mikes breath caught at her words ‘ _ you might just make me fall in love with you _ ’ ran around in his head until he felt like he would scream. Why did life have to be so unfair. Why couldn’t he just be selfish and keep her to himself. She said it, she _ could  _ fall in love with him. Sure he wasn’t the perfect guy for her like Don would be, but she did like him, so why shouldn’t he just keep her? If she could be happy with him, wasn’t that happy enough to count? Maybe she didn’t need Don, but then, what kind of person would he be knowing that he kept her from being with someone that was the most perfect for her. Mike swallowed a sigh, sure she might be happy with him but the knowledge that she would be happier with Don would just eat at him.

Mike tried hard not to be a selfish person. Sometimes he came across that way and yeah he had his moments where he was absolutely selfish, but it was never about anything important. He couldn’t do that to Shadow, she meant far too much to him for him to be selfish and just keep her because he didn’t want to die alone and empty. ‘ _ You might just make me fall in love with you _ ’ continued to echo in his head as he fought bad the tears. He already loved her, it was too late for him, but not for her. She didn’t love him yet and it was only a might, a maybe. There was still time to transition what little emotion she had for him over to Don. Then she wouldn’t even feel any guilt. It was a win-win scenario. Shadow would have someone and be happy, and so would his brother. Everything worked out for everyone. Well, not him but Mike was ok with that. Not everyone got to be happy, not everyone got a happy ending.

Two years, she agreed to the two years. That was plenty of time to get Don and Shadow together. Hell it might not even take two months. Once Shadow realized how charming and smart Don was, she would leap right on it. Yeah Mike knew he made her laugh and she loved his cooking, but that kind of stuff could not compare to the deep level of compatibility those two would have. Mike bit his lip, she was just like Don and he had seen Don’s web history. Two Demi’s needed to be together right? Though the memory of what he saw on Don’s laptop had him fighting back a shudder. 

Crap! She was still talking, what did he miss. Oh right two years, not dying alone. Well, she wouldn’t die alone. Mike had already resigned himself to his own fate. “Two years sounds great!” He had to force the cheerfulness but it sounded real enough. It wasn’t his first rodeo. Mike had become the master of masks, of obfuscation, of making people believe that he was as happy as he pretended to be. Chuckling a bit Mike offered up the smallest of his three fingers. Since he didn’t actually have a pinky, he couldn’t really make a pinky promise. So he wasn’t even going to be breaking a promise either. “I, Michelangelo, here by pinky swear. As the stars in the sky are my witness. If the charming, lovely, talented, beautiful, intelligent, wonderful, funny, and all around perfect Shadow does not find a suitable love in two years. Then I shall gladly, and with all the love in the world that she deserves, sweep her off her feet and marry her good and proper.” He tried to make the promise sound just a bit silly to hide the fact that he not only meant every word, but he would marry her right now if he could, but he couldn’t.

Mike had to resist the urge. She wasn’t for him, she was meant for Donnie. That is why she came into his life. Not to bring him happiness, but to bring happiness to his brother. Mike was just there to help it along, to be the bridge to get these two smart people to meet. Well if he was going to be a bridge then he was going to be the best damn bridge he could be. 

Staring into Shadow’s eyes after his promise, made it that much harder. He loved her, he wanted her, and he would give anything in the world to have her. He hoped none of it showed in those big baby blue eyes of his, but Mike was always expressive. Some how, some way, he had to detach himself from his emotions and feelings for her. It was the only way he was going to be able to make this work, to make sure that she ended up with who she deserved. He only hope Don cooperated. That turtle could be strangely obtuse for someone so smart. 


	22. Chapter 22

She couldn’t help it. He was just too sweet. And his flowery declaration was too romantic. Her face erupted into a crimson blush and she broke out into a fit of giggles that had her covering her mouth with her one free hand. The last thing that she wanted was to laugh because it was impossible to know if it would hurt his feelings or not but Shadow really did hope that she could make up for losing her composure right to his face.

“Oh my heck Mikey, ahhhhhh! That was the cutest thing I have ever heard in my life, my face is going to stick this color for a week. I can’t even begin to come up with something half as adorable as that, ack.” She held onto his pinky with hers and glanced up at him with a sheepish grin, feeling reprehensibly girlish and fluttery under such an intense look. It was her job to be the smart, responsible, sometimes even snappy overseer at work so to have him disarming her seemingly without even trying was an unusual sensation. Not an unwelcome one but one that was going to take some time to get used to. 

Pulling herself together she sucked in a deep breath and put her giggles aside, still smiling at him but the expression was newly softened and warm. “Ok, my turn. I, Shadow, hereby pinky swear with the stars as my witness. That if the very handsome, strong, funny, cuddly, witty, kick-ass, powerful, genuine, and romantic Michelangelo does not find a lover to spend the rest of his life with sometime in the next two years… then I will gladly, with all the love, trust, fidelity, friendship, and honesty that I possess… follow the advice given by the great and powerful Beyoncé and ’put a ring on it.’ And marry my best friend so that he will be mine forever and ever and ever.”

A thought flashed through her mind then that had her cheeks pinking once more. One that said that there was no part of their promise that excluded getting together sooner than that if they ended up falling for each other before their two year deadline. It wasn’t a thought that she actively pursued but realistically it seemed like the only way the two of them would end up making it to that two year deadline would be if they helped each other out in trying to find people for each other to try out. Mikey probably wasn’t in a position where he could just ‘swipe right’ and find someone that would be accepting of him.

Maybe Shadow could help field some candidates for him. Set him up in a way, find people that would want to meet him either in spite of or because of his … unique situation. She wouldn’t do it without talking to him about it first, of course, especially with his family living both figuratively and literally underground for safety reasons. But that discussion could wait for another day. Now that the two of them had reached an unexpectedly deep level of connection and understanding in one night it felt right to lighten the mood a bit.

Shadow stood and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead, sure to add an audible ‘mwah’ to the gentle touch, and then turned his attention to their long-cold feast. She gave him a quick list of what all had been brought along, snagging a box of orange chicken and fried rice for herself before sitting down beside him to dig in. There was plenty of Donatello’s excellent baking to share, the conspiratory turtle having been true to his promise, and after they had eaten Shadow rolled up her slacks and kicked off her shoes to show her betrothed an age-old family tradition of catching frogs in the shallows of the lake. The little peepers were fast, and Shadow a little bit out of practice, but it was good fun no matter how impressively big or adorably tiny the catches were that they showed off to each other by starlight.


	23. Chapter 23

Mike wanted her to put a ring on it so bad he almost begged. The adorable over the top smooch on the forehead helped to both calm him and distract him. It was the kind of kiss you gave someone you didn’t feel physically attracted to. He wondered if Shadow could even be attracted to him like that. Since her and Don were both Demi’s maybe they only liked their own kind. It made sense, and she probably had no idea that Don was like her. Mike had to do everything he could to get them together.

However, food distracted him and soon his morose mood faded as he dug in and laughed with her. The food was cold but still good. The baked good sweet and wonderful as usual. It was fun to forget the heavier thoughts in his head and just enjoy a meal with his best friend. Yes he was going to set her up with his brother, but for now that could wait.

Mike laughed as she showed him how to catch frogs, and the whole experience was weirdly surreal. He didn’t want this evening to end, but it had to. Once they had their fill of frogs it was time to clean up as best they could and pack away their things. Mike helped make sure they didn’t leave anything behind, no trash or personal belongings. This place was too nice to ruin and if they didn’t hurry it would be light before they got back to the city.

The ride back was comfortable, small talk that fell into a comfortable silence. He was sure she was just as lost in thought as he was. Somehow the ride home seemed shorter than the ride there and all too soon they were back at her place and he was getting ready to say goodbye. Part of him wanted to stay and oh were those lips of hers tempting. He wanted to be selfish, to take something for himself, to just know what it was like, but he couldn’t. Instead he smiled goofily and hugged her, thanking her for the evening before rushing to make it home before the sun was up. Maybe he could have stayed a bit longer, but Mike didn’t trust himself.

Making it home he slipped to his room, no one noticing him which was good. It took him a few minutes to change out of his gear and pull on some sleep shorts. He half fell half sank onto his bed rolling onto his stomach and burying his face in his pillow. He wanted to push everything away and just think about the good parts of the evening, but now that he was alone he couldn’t stop the tears. He was going to lose the woman he loved, but it wasn’t so bad. She would be happy with his brother, and his brother would not be alone anymore. 

Of all of them Don probably needed someone the most. He was terrible at taking care of himself and Shadow could help with that. Mike was already crying into his pillow when those thoughts passed through his mind. All the emotion of the evening, everything he realized, everything he knew, just came crashing down on him. Mike sobbed as quietly as he could, not wanting anyone to know, and eventually he fell into a fitful sleep. Images of Shadow pulling away from him, fading, him reaching for her and not quite being able to hold onto her. All night Mike struggled with sleep, tossing and turning, waking up a few times before trying to sleep again. After a while he gave up and drug himself out of his bed to go grab a shower. 

As the water washed over him Mike sucked in a shaky breath. It was now or never. Might as well start planning and figuring out how to best get Don on board with the idea of being with Shadow. He couldn’t just come out and say it. Don was oddly stubborn in the weirdest of ways and getting him to do what you wanted usually required a bit of finesse and some trickery. Sighing Mike finished his shower and tried to think of the best way to start. He had to be subtle, so he would need to wait a bit. Plan it out, maybe get a feel for Don’s mood first. Perhaps invite shadow over to hang out when he knew Don would be around. Yeah that was a good place to start, just get them in the same room together. It would work, it had to work. Even if part of Mike wished it would fail. 


	24. Chapter 24

It was one of the best evenings Shadow’d had in a long time. Even the drive home seemed to fly by and though it was tempting to ask him to stay for a little longer and keep chatting the sun was going to be coming up soon and he did need to be getting home before he was spotted. A perfectly warm and comfortingly crushing hug to end the night had her crawling into bed with a happy, sleepy smile. And a restful morning’s sleep soon had her greeting the afternoon.

All aglow with the thrill of how wonderful the previous night had gone her self care routine was a little more indulgent today than usual, Shadow taking a few extra minutes to shave herself completely silky smooth and sugar scrub away any lingering pond water that might still be clinging to her skin. Freesia-scented lotion with just enough body glitter in it to wink at anyone passing by and a sundress complemented her usual curls by the time evening was beginning to fall, all dolled up and ready to go landed her on the couch with her phone in hand to chat with Donatello for a minute before heading down.

It had been a week and now it was time for the ‘prank’ to be over, but not before Shadow gave Don a glowing review of his baking and many thanks for providing the sweets. She had an equally positive report of Michelangelo’s behavior through the week as well, the scientist happy to tell him how thoughtful and helpful and genuinely eager to go out of his way Mikey’d been as a 'husband.’ And that, if Don was ready, she could come down at any time that night for whatever 'annulment plus I hope you’ve learned your lesson’ finale he had put together.

It was funny, Shadow was actually kindof sad that this game was over. It had started as something she didn’t really classify as a prank personally, usually when she heard the word it conjured up images of shaving cream and feathers or moving all of the furniture slightly to the left, but Michelangelo had really risen to the challenge. He could have been a lot more rotten about it but he hadn’t made a single 'make me a sammich wifey’ type comment the whole time and that had been a very welcome surprise. If anything he had practically fallen over himself trying to take care of her and work himself around her schedule. And after plenty of uncomfortable experiences where she’d been expected to adjust her working schedule for a man Mikey’s attitude was pleasantly refreshing.

[If your would rather just work it out with Mikey that’s fine but this does have my involvement so it seems more believable that an 'annulment’ would require both parties present.]

[…. and I may have the ulterior motive of being very excited to meet the whole family as reason why I’d like to be involved now that the week is over… to be honest… though the believability is important too]

Now that the two of them had entered a 'marriage pact’ she really wanted to talk to the brothers about the option of doing her duty as best friend and try to hook him up with some handpicked people from around the city. Mikey had talked to her about how they needed to be careful about secrecy so this wasn’t exactly something she wanted to just dive into without talking to them. Preferably as a group, though how she might manage that was still unknown. She might have to be patient and sit on the idea for a while but getting to meet the family was definitely a prerequisite to doing any sort of in-depth planning or plotting with them.


	25. Chapter 25

Donatello had been texting Shadow off and on throughout the week just to make sure the prank did not go south. Today was finally the day that they could call everything off and Don was feeling a bit guilty. This did not feel like a prank and something about Mike’s behavior recently had Don concerned. He knew how easily his little brother could get his feelings tied up in something and he had agreed with Shadow to never reveal that this had been a prank all along. The potential for damage was far too high and it seemed that both Mike and Shadow had really enjoyed the week. 

Instead Don was going to go through a fake annulment process and give Mike a short lecture on being more careful and more responsible as it could have ended badly. What if it had not been a friend and he had married some stranger. Not that any of it was real but he really wanted Mike to think about his actions. Rash decisions like this could be dangerous and any chance that he could take to teach Mike to be more responsible Don took it. 

[I have everything printed out and ready to go. I will keep the lecture as short as possible as no real harm was done here this time, but Mike does need to learn to be more responsible with how he conducts himself online. Also, I think we should make sure that we never mention to anyone that this was a prank and I am going to erase all messages between us referencing it as such because I feel like this could be hurtful if found out. Mike is more sensitive than I think anyone realizes, and we hate seeing him cry.]

WIth that message delivered Don got everything ready making sure Mike knew that he had to bring Shadow down for it to be official. They both had to sign the papers. Though it was hard to keep his stern voice up when he could see something fragile in his brother's baby blue eyes. Don hadn’t really looked much recently, but he could swear Mike’s eyes looked red as if he had been crying. Yes, it was the best decision not to tell him this had been a joke. 

 

Mike arrived at Shadows apartment and had to suck in a breath and stop himself from reacting to just how beautiful she looked. Of course it wouldn’t stop the compliments but he tried to go easy with them. “You look stunning as always darling. You chariot awaits.” Mike held out his arms and comically waggled his eyebrows. The only way he was going to get through this without having some kind of emotional melt down was to act like a goofball the entire time. 

Picking Shadow up and carrying her across the rooftops and down to the lair was the highlight of the evening. He went slower than he normally would have just so he could savor the feel of her against him. He wasn’t losing her, not really, at least he kept telling himself that just so he could keep it together. Carrying her into the lair Mike was hesitant to put Shadow down, but he had to before it got weird.

“So did you want to do the thing first to get it out of the way. I mean I know you want to meet my brothers. Don is here, Leo and Raph should be back from patrol soon. They let us off the hook so that we could handle all this. So, it’s whatever works for you.” Mike was feeling awkward and was talking too fast. He was nervous and trying not to sound upset.

 

“Ahh you are both here. Why don’t  you both come into the lab. You can sign the documents and then Mike, I would like to have a word with you about all of this. I think Shadow has been a good sport in all of this but it was still quite irresponsible of you to get into this situation in the first place. The internet is a dangerous place and we are lucky this happened with such a good friend, someone you can trust, but it easily could have been someone untrustworthy.”

Don was looking at Mike who just looked more broken than his usual sheepish. Terminating the rest of his planned lecture Don just sighed and ushered his baby brother into the lab along with Shadow. “I suppose you have learned your lesson well enough though. Shadow told me you were the perfect gentleman, much to my surprise, I think I expected you to have fun with this but it seems you took it quite seriously. That is probably a better lesson than any lecture I could give you, also lecturing is more Leo’s thing than mine. Just, be more careful ok?” Don pulled out some impressively official looking documents.  “You just need to sign here, here, and initial here, here and here, and there, and finally sign and date here. Both of you please.”

Waiting for them to finish Don watched Mike carefully. His brother looked tense but was clearly trying to play it off. Only someone that knew Mike intimately would know that anything was wrong. Having grown up together Don could tell something was off but he was not going to bring it up, not yet, but he would be keeping a better eye on Mike for a bit. 

“There we go. I can file these with the state tomorrow. Legally it will be as if this whole marriage thing had never even happened. It won’t reflect badly on either of you. Not that we have any legal documents but Shadow does, and this will not have any negative repercussions.”

 

Mike did his best to keep everything inside as he signed the papers. Don’s words twisted something inside of him, breaking him more. It would be like it never happened, like Shadow had never been his at all. Maybe it was for the best. He flashed Shadow the best smile he could muster and did his best to look on the bright side. “Don’t worry Shadow, now I wont be all up in your business all the time, but I can still come over and cook for you whenever you want. I mean, this doesn’t mean we aren’t besties anymore right?” Oh god how it hurt to smile and pretend like everything was ok. He couldn’t do it. “Oh. be right back! Gotta pee!”

Mike ran to the bathroom and barely made it behind the door before the tears were flowing he managed to get his mask down around his neck before it was soaked. One hand covered his mouth as he choked back sobs, trying to muffle the sounds of his crying. He couldn’t be in here long, he tried to just get it out as fast as he could without being suspicious. Washing his hands and face Mike got soap on his hands a second time and touched his face in a couple of places then made some sounds of distress and washed his face with his mask on. “Oh dammit!”

Wandering out of the bathroom he saw the look his brother gave him and he looked sheepish. “Got soap in my eyes again. I touched my face without rinsing fully. We have got to switch to that foam soap bro, like seriously. The stuff we use is like dish soap, it never fully comes off. How many times is that this week?” The truth was that the soap had nothing to do with it. Mike was running out of ways to hide how much time he spent crying and hurting himself with soap was his best option right now. 

 

Don just huffed an exasperated sigh and rolled his eyes. “I will see what I can order off amazon. Mike you really have to be more careful. But.. Raph did it the other day too so maybe you are onto something with that.” Don was now suspicious but still played like he had no clue something was up. Also he had to distract Mike somehow when Leo and Raph arrived since Shadow wanted to talk to all of them. Perhaps while Mike was cooking they could have a small meeting, at least exchange numbers and hellos. He wasn’t sure what she wanted but she seemed to have Mike’s best interests at heart and that made it easier to trust her. 


	26. Chapter 26

She wasn’t so sure about the idea of being carried overtop of New York City but Mikey seemed to manage it with little to no effort. Even with Shadow clinging to him tightly. She joked with him upon arriving at his home that he must be very strong to carry her so easily all this way but very quickly the two of them were ushered into Donatello’s lab to sign the paperwork that he’d created for them to sign.

It was very impressive, both the lab (which she definitely admired out of the corner of her eye as they entered) and the papers. They even had the New York State Seal on them and if Don hadn’t already told her that he had fabricated them she might have been concerned that she was signing actual, official documentation. Even quickly skimming the paragraphs of information within which they were adding their signatures it sounded legally proper and appropriate for their fake annulment. Even Mikey seemed to be taking it seriously, which was the desired effect after all and it was soothingly pleasing to see that he was being as serious about this as he had been invested in taking their week of marriage seriously.

Shadow was about to answer Mikey’s question about still being best friends, mouth open with warm eyes, when he suddenly dashed out of the room. Her teeth clicked together as soon as he was gone, eyebrows pinching together as she considered the doorway. “Huh. Alright.”

Perhaps it was just as well, she had wanted to chat with Don for just a minute and now it seemed like the opportunity had been dropped into her lap. “I have to say, I’m very impressed. These documents look like they took a lot of time to put together.” Turning back to face the tall, lanky brother she smiled gratefully up at him. “Thank you. It means a lot that you’d do all this for him. And thanks for letting me come over to talk to you all about the thing that’s been rattling around in my head. It’s not bad or anything I just don’t want to do anything that might affect your family without talking to the family first.”

She wasn’t actually looking forward to this, not when she’d been having such a hard time wording it in her head so that the right emotion would be communicated. If not then it would sound a lot more selfish than she was hoping to seem. It was a teeny bit selfish, if she had to be honest, but mostly she just wanted Mikey to have the best. And Shadow wasn’t it if he didn’t have the chance to meet other people and decide for himself.

That doesn’t mean she didn’t like him at all, quite the opposite. And when Mikey came back out all wet and bloodshot she couldn’t help but walk over to him and take his chin in her hands to look him over, expression worried over him. “Oh honey I’m sorry, soap in your eyes is never fun. Are you ok?” She tugged just a little on his mask, encouraging him to remove it while still leaving him the choice to do so or not. “You might want to take this off if your eyes are already irritated. Water dripping into your eyes probably won’t help you feel any better. And I have some gentler soap at my place, you can bring some home with you when you drop me off later. As long as you don’t mind smelling like Lavender and Vanilla.”

She flashed him a teasing smile, already sure that in a house full of men floral soaps were probably strictly forbidden on account of them being very unmanly, and let her hands drop back to her sides now that she’d looked him over. Poor guy, the soap must have really stung with how red his eyes were. She had some eye drops at home but those wouldn’t do them much good here. If he was still bloodshot by the time she needed to head home then she’d offer them but for now he would just have to let his eyes clear up naturally.

It was about that time when the other two brothers returned, fully geared up and looking a bit more dangerous than Mikey usually did when he stopped by her place after patrol. She wasn’t unused to dangerous characters but that was during working hours. Her professional facade was unshakably cool and ineffectual, emotionally neutral and calculating. But with Mikey after hours that mask was dropped and she wasn’t the immoveable picture of perfect objectivity anymore.

Especially when the big one in red lumbered in. Shadow didn’t like to feel intimidated but jeez he was big. And instinctively she stepped one half step backwards, bumping into Mikey and sticking to his side. She kindof wanted to duck under his arm and wear it over her shoulders like a security blanket but she refrained. This Was Mikey’s family after all and she really did want to get along with them.

She shot him a questioning look over her shoulder, a bit unsure of how to proceed, before donning her professional air and straightening her back. She extended her hand to the foremost one in blue and smiled politely at him, hoping he hadn’t seen her earlier hesitation. She really didn’t want to start off their working relationship with that kind of expression. “Shadow Stevens, nice to finally meet you.”


	27. Chapter 27

Donatello chuckled a bit at her comment on the documents. He was rather proud of how they had turned out. He probably didn’t have to try that hard since Mike barely even glanced at them, but it was important to make it as real as possible. Partly because he really was worried how Mike would react to finding out this whole thing was just a joke. At first the whole prank thing seemed like a good idea, and now it very much did not. Still he was happy that he was able to help them both and maybe Mike would learn something.

“I needed it to be real, and you can always talk to me about anything if you need to. I know we aren’t as close as you and Mike, but you have proven to have his best interests at heart and that is quite important to me.”

Of course their conversation had been cut off by Mike returning wet and red eyed. Of course Don wa suspicious of it but played it off easily enough.

 

Mike thought he had died and gone to heaven when Shadow doted on him. Her touch was everything and it took an immense amount of willpower to keep from leaning into her touch. The little tug on his mask made him feel tingly in places that he tried not to acknowledge in her presence because he knew that she couldn’t want him like that. It was one of the first conversations they had after getting married, and he was determined to respect it. 

Lifting his hands he helped her by loosening it and her tugging brought it down to hang loosely around his neck. Mike’s eyes seeme darker without the mask on and he smiled at her. God he wanted to kiss her so badly. Just press his lips against hers, pull her body close. It was one of those beautiful lies he told himself, that he might some day have that if he was patient. 

The spell was broken when his brothers walked in. He sensed a chance in Shadow as she scooted closer to him and realized that Raph probably made her nervous. His size made him seem far more intimidating than he actually was and most the time Raph liked it that way. Mike chuckled and let Shadow find her feet, but he was sorely tempted to pull her close, it was a good excuse one he could easily abuse. 

 

Leo bowed to the woman next to his brother and Raph just rolled his shoulders as he looked her up and down a few times. Leo was the one that finally spoke. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you. We have heard much about you and are happy to welcome you into our home.” Leo was his usual polite self, reserved and proper, but he wasn’t trying to be unfriendly. “I understand you wanted to speak to us about something important?”

 

Mike looked worried. He had only told his brothers so much about Shadow and her job. He was afraid that because she was a scientist that they might make assumptions about her. She wasn’t bad or evil, she just couldn’t talk about her work. That might make other people suspicious but Mike got it. It wasn’t just that it was classified stuff, but, clearly her job was stressful so talking about it had to be stressful too. So it was important that she know she didn’t have to talk about it, and therefore, less stress. At least that was how it made sense to Mikey. He was worried his brothers wouldn’t see it that way. 


	28. Chapter 28

Shadow appreciated Leonardo’s respectful tone and proper greeting, especially with feeling so internally unbalanced. It helped to solidify the calm, professional persona that needed to be put on to be able to dive right in to the ‘something important’ that Leo seemed eager to broach.

“I am equally pleased to finally become acquainted with it, your home is wonderful. I do hope that it’s not too forthcoming to ask but it is something I feel is important to ask the family as a whole. And Mikey honey I apologize for not discussing this with you first but I really wanted this to be a family discussion” She started, turning to give her best friend an apologetic smile before returning to addressing the group as a whole, lips turned up just a little in the hopes of coming across as friendly but business-like so she would be taken seriously. Always a hazard when speaking to a group of men. All she needed to do was remain cool, collected, professional, and eloquent and everything would be fine.

“Mikey’s friendship is a gift and I care about him and his well being. Physical, mental, and emotional. As his friend I want to do whatever I can to help him and his family, ergo I want what is best for you all and will do what is in my power to help make sure that my presence in Mikey’s life is only a positive one. I recognize that this means I cannot, in good conscience, selfishly keep him to myself. I want to help widen his, and your, circle of friends and connections. However I DO recognize that this would need to be done with discretion and care, given your situation. I would never willingly or knowingly put your family in danger, from what I have seen and heard you take on more than your fair share of danger for this city and I don’t want to add to your load.”

So far all of this was true. She really did care and she really did want to be able to help Mikey make new friends. He was such a social butterfly you would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to not see it. So maybe she left out the part about setting him up on dates. Maybe she left out the part about looking for people that would specifically meet her standards of compatibility for him. That was ok right? They didn’t need to know that. Not yet anyways.

“What I ask is for your thoughts and opinions as a unified whole on the idea of allowing me to look for people that would give him, and therefore all members of your family, a fair chance to be himself as he is. Quietly, discreetly, and with a hefty amount of scrutiny before any interactions take place. Internet interactions can be as beneficial as they can be dangerous but if there were people that would give your family here, in New York, a fair chance then my thought is that even if the friendship falls through you’ll have gained an ally and a connection at least. And you can never have too many of those, right?”

She’d been thinking about this meeting for days and after plenty of lists of pro’s and cons that was her ace up her sleeve. Perhaps the other brothers weren’t so interested in friends, it was hard to make any judgement calls without just asking them directly, but even if they weren’t then allies were always a welcome offer. As outcasts/vigilantes/mutants connections that could be counted on were hard to come by (at least that was the impression she’d gotten so far) and therefore a valuable commodity. You never knew when you would meet someone with a skill or another connection that might come in handy.


	29. Chapter 29

Mike was a bit confused when Shadow said she should have spoken to him first, but as she went on he understood. It wasn’t even a whole hour, not even minutes, after their marriage was annulled and she was already trying to push him at someone that wasn’t her. That hurt, a lot more than he wanted to admit, but he had to remain all smiles and just nod along as if he was ok with it and understood her choices in the matter. He was pretty sure his brothers would have something to say about it, especially Leo.

The look on his oldest brothers face told Mike everything. This was not an idea that was going to go over smoothly. Though Raph looked both curious and interested. Maybe it would work out in his favor. Maybe they could find someone for Raph, and that would be enough. Mike wanted Shadow, he didn’t want anyone else, but clearly she didn’t want him. He tried so hard to push away the hurt and keep that vacant smiling expression on his face. 

Leo looked thoughtful, but displeased before he spoke. “While I appreciate your concerns for our well being I am not sure this is a wise idea. It isn’t just what we are that is the problem. It is our life style. Anyone that chose to get close to us would be putting themselves at risk. They would become a target for our enemies. It won’t be easy to find people willing to live that kind of life and I am perfectly fine with how things are as is.”

“Yer fine wit it, but what about the rest of us?” Raphael interrupted. “I dunno about you Leo, but it gets real fuckin lonely sometimes. I love you guys, but we don’t share each other’s interests all the time and look at how happy Mike has been since meetin miss Shadow here? She is nice, she ain’t screamin and callin us freaks. Maybe .. I dunno maybe there are people out there and if she is helpin, she can weed out the bad ones. Ya know, find the trust worthy ones. I think we should let her. We all deserve a chance ta have something more’n this” Raph gestured around their strange home.

Don looked between his brothers and sighed a bit. “While I am perfectly happy in my solitude and with my projects. I will admit I have enjoyed having Miss Shadow’s company lately. She has been invaluable with helping in some of my work and I find her pleasant. I am not certain I would be compatible with anyone else, but I do plan to continue my relationship with Miss Shadow.” Don turned to her flushing a bit. “Should you allow it of course. I had a new project I desire your input on,. But I did not mean to presume.”

Mike felt his stomach go hollow. Relationship? Her and Don already had a relationship? When the hell had that happened? Make was barely able to fight back his distress. “I uh.. I think it’s a good idea bros. I mean you guys could use friends, I think we all could right?” He tried to sound enthusiastic but wasn’t quite there. He came off as a bit more nervous than anything.

“It seems I am outnumbered.” Leo admitted with a small huff. “Fine, on a trial basis. We will see how it goes. However, no bringing anyone to the lair for now. We will visit them, if any are interested, in their own homes.” Leo regarded Shadow. “You are of course welcome here. You have proven yourself trustworthy, and everything you are doing to befriend us and help us has been appreciated. However, please understand why I must have this rule in place.”


	30. Chapter 30

Shadow positively beamed, the very small and very high pitched noise squeaking by her throat a tell of how excited she was about all of this. A trial basis was all she needed. Mikey, and really all of his brothers, were so amazing and sweet… in their own way. Even Mr. Stick-up-his-butt Himself had plenty of qualities that made him SOMEBODY’s type. Maybe Shadow could find someone fun and silly that clicked with him and helped to bring out whoever was hiding under all those layers of responsibility and rules. 

“Absolutely. Believe me, I understand. Hell, I don’t even let people into my own apartment that I’m not 100% sure of. So trust me, I get it. Absolutely nobody gets invited to your home. Besides, that would be kindof rude. You know? Who invites someone to someone ELSE’s house?” 

The radiant grin continued right along with Shadow as she added on, “And trust me. I’m not going to be introducing anyone like you guys are some kind of dating game show contestants. Relationships should grow naturally out of friendships. So really, my goal is to find friends that might click with your personalities on top of also being open minded enough to accept everything else that comes along with them. If there happens to be more of a spark than just something platonic, that is completely out of my hands and in your guys’ playing field. I promise not to push… too much.” 

The grin turned a tad guilty, Shadow knowing very well that she couldn’t really promise not to interfere at ALL. Especially with these guys being inexperienced with relationships. There was the very likely possibility that they might not see some of the more subtle signals one way or another and in the event that they were being clueless Shadow couldn’t totally exclude herself. It wouldn’t be kind or fair. So it couldn’t be promised. Not in good conscience anyways, ironic as it may be for a person in her position to talk about having one of those. 

“Maybe just a little. But really I mostly want to help you guys make friends. I just didn’t want to start trying to introduce you to people without getting permission first, knowing your situation. Again, I really truly don’t want to put any of you in danger. Your friendship means the world to me. I’d do anything for you guys. Even things that aren’t very fun as long as they help you guys out or keep you safe.” 

She smiled at each of them, hoping that the genuine emotion behind it translated the way she meant it to. Well… for everyone except Mikey. That was a whole other depth of emotion that really didn’t need to be translated correctly. So rather than let it sit and linger Shadow poked Donnie playfully to change the subject. “That means you too, you goof. You know it’s always a good time to be had doing science. Even if I do science all day at work. It’s more fun when there isn’t a deadline and a contract attached to it. And if it’s helping the family out then it’s even better. ‘Should you allow it,’ pfffft, have I ever given any indication that I haven’t enjoyed being your lab assistant when it’s science time? I DO enjoy breaks so I’m not sciencing 24/7 and I can let my brain rest but presume away, alright? I’ll verbally notify you if that changes.”


End file.
